


rain and rhododendrons

by civillove



Series: flowershop!seblaine AU [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25147903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/civillove/pseuds/civillove
Summary: request from the amazing @jamesbvck on tumblr: sebastian is on his way home from work and it starts pouring. he has two options: get soaked or take shelter in a familiar flower shop :) :) :)--this is directly connected to my first colorblind!blaine request titled‘beauty in the eye of the beholder’so you should probably read that first :)
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Sebastian Smythe
Series: flowershop!seblaine AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824835
Comments: 10
Kudos: 64





	rain and rhododendrons

Sebastian sighs as he scrolls through Instagram, mindlessly liking pictures that capture his attention as he waits for the bartender to bring back the check and for Santana to come back from the bathroom.

They’ve done this little outing as long as he can remember since he met her, working at the same firm for four years now. He teases that she’s in so many ways the female version of him and maybe that’s true; relentless, beautiful with a silver tongue and a knack for getting things that she wants. It’s not only that though, they have similar families (parents who are well off and pains in their asses), detailed goals (that they’ll do just about anything to achieve), and a history of dating the wrong people (because they don’t know how to trust anyone).

Sebastian enjoys spending his time with her, she makes him laugh and drives him absolutely fucking crazy and he knew that if things were different, they’d be a perfect pair for one another. Which is why sharing an apartment is so easy too because they’re not interested in eachother like that and rent is fucking crazy, even with their decent salaries. He pauses at a photo of Blaine on his feed, standing amongst sunflowers and other plants at his flower shop—apparently they’re having a two-for-one sale on arrangements.

He runs his thumb over the other’s jawline, contemplating something for a moment as he looks up at the bartender and thanks him for the check. He quickly signs, leaving a decent tip, and presses his elbows into the counter. He hasn’t managed to ask Blaine out yet, for whatever reason, even if he did get his number over two weeks ago.

Sebastian tells himself that he’s been busy but every excuse seems so sour and untrue against his tongue.

“Please tell me that’s the hot flower shop owner you keep pining over.” Santana asks, coming up from behind him. She flips her raven colored hair over her shoulder and fixes him with a look, saying that she already knows the answer despite what’s about to come out of his mouth.

Sebastian narrows his eyes, slipping his phone into his pocket, “No one’s pining.”

“Sure Jan,” She sing-songs as they make their way out to the bar, Santana buttoning her coat as thunder sounds in the distance. “Then what’s the hold up? He’s not the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen but he’s decent in a nerdy, florist shop kinda way. What? Suddenly not interested in sucking that Honeysuckle, Smythe?”

He scrunches his nose, shaking his head as he puts his hands into his pockets. “Can we agree not to use any flower analogies from here on out?”

She rolls her eyes, digging in her purse for a cigarette but coming up empty. “Whatever. I’m just sayin’ that I know you and you coulda had him in your bed, spread out before you like a week ago.”

Sometimes, he _hates_ that she seems to know him so well, “I just decided that he’s not worth my time.” He shrugs his one shoulder, hoping that the conversation would just die off after that but of course it doesn’t.

Because she does, in fact, know him.

She snatches his phone right out of his hand after he orders an Uber, “Oh my god.”

“Hey,” Sebastian snaps, reaching for his device but she’s got it out of his reach. And while he could probably easily take it from her, she’s had a few drinks and he’s not about to poke that dragon.

“You actually _like_ him, don’t you? This isn’t about getting him in-between your sheets.”

He sighs softly and rolls his eyes to the sky, another round of thunder echoing his annoyance but also signaling it’s going to rain soon. “He’s a colorblind _florist.”_

Santana scrunches her nose, pointing a finger at him, “Oh don’t be a fucking snob, Sebastian. I can see right through your bullshit. Doesn’t matter if he can’t see the color red or that he handles flowers for a living—”

“It’s blue-yellow, actually,” He interrupts, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You’re just proving my point.”

“Which is?” Sebastian all but snaps, starting to lose his patience.

“That you _like_ him and don’t know what to do about it.” She smiles, all cat-like teeth, proud with her deduction like she’s settling a case in court.

He lets out a short sigh as he watches her, the Uber pulling around the bend and starting up the street to them. He’s not sure what he can say to her exactly, because she’s not wrong and that’s infuriating to him. Yeah, he met Blaine—who was positively too charming and nice for his own good and then friended him on Instagram. They’ve chatted a little, shared stories and their days but then Sebastian cut it off—went cold turkey.

Because he’s supposed to what? Ask Blaine out on a date? He hasn’t been on a date since _high school._ He doesn’t _date_ when he’s not interested in doing that shit anymore. But the thing is, Sebastian’s usual isn’t cutting it for him either. He doesn’t want to get Blaine into his bed and then adopt radio silence.

He doesn’t want to stop talking to him. Which poses a question and a problem of him not knowing what to do.

“I think…you should go see him.”

Sebastian’s mouth nearly falls open as the Uber pulls up next to them. “ _What?_ It’s like nine at night! The flower shop will probably be closed by the time I’d get there—I’m on the other side of Manhattan.”

“Then I guess you better hurry because I’m not letting you into the apartment until you do.” She smiles sweetly and opens up the car door—this is exactly one of the times he’s talking about where it _has_ to be better to live alone despite the downgrade in decent places in New York.

“Can I at least have my phone back?” He opens his hand towards her and Santana sweetly kisses his cheek, forfeiting his phone over before she closes the Uber door and the car pulls away without him.

And just because the universe is _one hundred percent_ that bitch, it begins raining.

\--

He takes two subways to his destination and still manages to get soaking wet, groaning as he yanks open the flower shop door and the little bell annoyingly announces his presence. He sighs, shaking himself off in one dramatic swoop, hoping to get most of the liquid off him that way. Unfortunately, he can _feel_ himself dripping and tries to at least run his hands through his hair to slick it back so it’s not plastered to his forehead.

“We’re closing in about five minutes, if you want to pick your arrangement I’m here if you need help—” Blaine’s voice sounds to the right of him as he appears out of a row of plants but then pauses when he sees its him. His demeanor shifts automatically, narrowing his eyes just a little. “Actually, we’re closed.”

Sebastian licks his lips, a smile tugging the corners of his mouth because, alright he totally deserves that, “So I can’t buy an arrangement?”

“I’m sure you’ll find another way to waste my time.” Blaine tuts, having zero interest in this conversation as he moves behind the counter.

The taller sighs and glances outside at the rain starting to pick up, a bright stretch of lightning moving across the sky. He does _not_ want to go back out into that any time soon. “Is that all you have to say?”

“You’re dripping all over my floor and we have a sale on peonies.” Blaine says, glancing up at him as he opens up the register and begins counting the till.

“I’m allergic, but thanks.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” He mumbles, flipping through a small stack of tens and then fives before he closes the drawer with his hip, “I dunno what you expected but I’m not a doormat. If you’re not interested, then that’s fine. I’m not going to wait by the phone or anything.”

Sebastian bites down on the tip of his tongue because it’s not that, he _is_ interested and he wonders if Blaine goes through this a lot. The way he’s speaking to him, what he’s saying, it sounds like he’s been here before. He doesn’t want his time to be wasted, he doesn’t want to be treated differently, doesn’t want to become a doormat where people drag their shoes.

He opens his mouth to say something but then the power flickers before going completely off, a frustrated sound leaving Blaine’s throat as they’re submerged in darkness. Well, this is honestly the _last_ thing Sebastian expected to happen.

“I got a flashlight, just stay where you are.”

And regardless of Blaine’s direction and the sliver of a light flicking on, Sebastian takes a step forward and feels his shoe slide on the tile from the puddle he’s made thanks to the rain. He makes it worse by trying to catch himself, his ankle twisting and before he knows it, he’s on his ass on the floor.

A loud clattering follows because he bumps a display over and he successfully gets the wind knocked out of him, his body not registering the hard fall on his elbows, ass and back until he lays there for a moment.

“Fucking _ow.”_

Blaine scrambles around the counter, waving his flashlight in Sebastian’s direction to assess the damage. “It took me two days to set up that rhododendron display.”

“Fuck your ‘dendrons,” Sebastian snaps, groaning as he turns a little on the floor and tries to feel his lower back. Jesus, this was the worst idea he’s ever had—he’s not talking to Santana for _at least_ a week over this.

Blaine comes up beside him, crouching in his olive-green apron and puts a hand on his forearm. “I told you not to move, I see you’re about as good as listening as you are asking a guy out.”

And _that’s_ a low blow and he’s not sure whether it’s because he’s still on the floor or what but he actually respects that sort of answer. Maybe his roommate isn’t the only one willing and able to put up with his bullshit.

“Isn’t it enough that my legs practically went up and over my head when I fell?”

“No,” But then Blaine smiles, gentle and soft but there nonetheless as he stands and offers him a hand to help him up. “Maybe a little.”

Sebastian takes his hand and slowly gets up off the ground, doing a mental checklist of his body parts and while he’s sore…he’s pretty sure everything else is okay. He’s just lucky he didn’t hit his head.

“Are you hurt?”

Sebastian shakes his head, “Just a bruised ego.” Then he lifts his hand up and winces because, “Actually, I think I cut my hand on the display.”

Blaine holds up the flashlight and reaches for his wrist, grimacing when he sees a cut across his palm, blood beginning to pool. “Ouch, okay. Come on, I got a first-aid kit in the back. Try not to knock anything else over.”

“I’ll do my best,” Sebastian states wryly, following Blaine through the aisles of plants to the backroom. In the dark like this, the flashlight creates eerie shadows on the walls and the floor, a shudder passing down his spine as he focuses on walking and not slipping on the tile.

The backroom is small and easily fills up with light when Blaine rifles through a desk and pulls out a few candles. He lights them and sets one up near the door while the other sits on his desk and he holds the flashlight between his teeth as he looks for the first-aid kit. He motions for him to sit and Sebastian does, pulling a chair near a table that’s holding a Keurig and a few coffee mugs.

“Okay, here we go.” Blaine sets the first-aid kit down and rounds the desk to sit down next to Sebastian on another chair. “Let me see.”

The shorter hums as he gets to work on his hand, cleaning gently with antiseptic wipes and cotton balls. Sebastian watches, his eyes traveling over the handsome lines of his face. He’s not sure how he could have forgotten this but he’s once again captivated by lovely wild curls near his forehead, the scruff along his jawline and a bright hazel even in this dark room highlighted by an orange glow from candlelight. His Instagram photos leave much to be desired, Blaine is definitely more beautiful in person.

“Am I gonna live, doc?” He asks after a moment and Blaine smirks, chewing on his lower lip as he finishes wrapping a small bandage around Sebastian’s hand.

“Think so,” He looks up at him, those eyes finding his own. There’s something going on there, words he’s not saying and he diverts his attention elsewhere before Sebastian can really figure it out.

“What is it?” Sebastian presses after he watches Blaine clean up trash from the first-aid kit to throw away.

Blaine shakes his head, keeping that question underneath his tongue. The taller rubs his thumb over his injured palm, listening to the thunder outside as it shakes the small flower shop. He contemplates his next set of words because Blaine doesn’t owe him anything, he doesn’t have to listen if he doesn’t want to.

He’ll get up and leave if Blaine asks but he wants to try and explain himself first, “You’re not a doormat,” He says, remembering his phrasing from earlier, “I’m just an asshole. Not asking you out? Had everything to do with me, not you.”

And while that sounds like such a fucking cliché, a cop-out, Blaine holds his gaze for a long moment before he nods. There’s a soft genuine smile there, “I get it, I didn’t mean to give you such a hard time. I guess I… _was_ a little hurt that I didn’t hear from you.”

Sebastian grins, can’t help it, “Oh so I _did_ make an impression.”

“Yeah,” Blaine nods, “Right into my rhododendrons.” 

The taller laughs, a breath of air leaving his lips as he shakes his head and tugs his wet coat off, letting it rest against the chair he’s sitting in. He’s assuming he won’t have to leave until the weather settles down and besides, it’s nice sitting here with Blaine—even if its in a dark flower shop.

Blaine chews on his lower lip, glancing past him to look back out onto the floor where they’ve walked from, considering something for a few moments before he looks back at Sebastian. Their eyes meet again and Blaine leans closer—trying to figure something out.

“I can’t tell, are your eyes blue or green?”

Sebastian blinks, the question throwing him off for a moment because _oh,_ he didn’t expect that. Now that he thinks about it, it makes sense for Blaine to be asking—he’s admitted his blues sometimes get lost in his greens, his yellows fading too. He really wonders what it’s like in a flower shop, is it a mess of reds and warm colors with splotches of green and cyan blue?

“Green,” He says after a moment, “With flecks of yellow.”

Blaine hums, dipping his chin a little, eyelashes pretty against his cheekbones. “I’m sure they’re attractive, just like the rest of you.”

It’s a joke, warm teasing and Sebastian _knows_ that but he fixes Blaine with a look that’s completely serious as he says, “They’re not more beautiful than yours.”

A soft laugh tumbles out of Blaine’s chest and even in the dull darkness of the room, Sebastian can see those cheeks tint pink. “Are you trying to apologize for my rhododendron display or what?”

“Or what.” Sebastian repeats instantly, pillowing his chin onto his hand as he leans his elbow down on the arm of the chair. “Will you go out with me? Even after I insulted you the first time we met and destroyed a display the second time?”

Blaine smiles, running a hand through his curls as he pretends to consider him. “Well you’re not giving me much of a choice.”

“Not going to get much more charming than this.” Sebastian teases and is pleasantly surprised when Blaine responds to his questions with a soft kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!


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